Yesterday the team completed the next stage of the bidding process by completing the 2 hour interview.

It started with a 30 minute powerpoint (presented by John Lovet and myself) and was followed by 90 minutes of questions from a panel.

The panel comprised 3 members of the CRC Committee plus 2 technical experts. There was also a number of observers from DIISR. The questioning covered the content of our research programs including some detailed questions on 2 of our exemplars. The relationship with the new National Biosecurity Flagship was addressed in some detail and there was several questions in relation to the legacy of the CRC after 6 years.

The team performed well with everyone getting to respond to at least 1 question. In addition to John and I, the team members were Martin Barlass, Paul De Barro, Jon Durham, Andrew Inglis, Bill Roberts, Shashi Sharma, Alison Stewart and Ruth Wallace. The last week has been busy for the whole team in preparing for the interview and I thank them for their committment to the CRC.

I would also like to thank many other people who have contributed to the bidding process over the last 12 months.

The decision should be announced before Christmas and if it is similar to last year we may hear in the first week of December. We have done as much as possible to be successful this year and given the commitment from our participants across industry, government and academia, the level of cash committed and our international reach we should be optimistic.